SOGGY NIGHT
Rain again wreaks havoc on Bedlam baseball
Desperate for a win to keep its chances of making next week’s Big 12 Baseball Tournament alive, Oklahoma State did what it could on the field.
But for the second consecutive day in Bedlam, the weather didn’t cooperate.
The Cowboys led Oklahoma 5-2 in the middle of the fifth inning when the rains and lightning started at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, and the game never resumed.
Finally, more than five hours after the delay began, the game was called off for the night.
The game is expected to resume Saturday at 4:35 p.m., followed by a second game at 7:05.
The third game of the series will not be played. Thursday’s game at ONEOK Field in Tulsa was called off due to rain.
Due to Big 12 rules, the series cannot extend to Sunday.
With Kansas State sweeping a doubleheader from Baylor, Oklahoma State needs to win both games Saturday to make the Big 12 Tournament.
The Cowboys have missed the Big 12 Tournament just twice — in 2009 and 2010.
At one point, about 3 ½ hours after the rain delay started at 4:37 p.m., the tarp was removed from the field, and the game was scheduled to resume at 8:15.
But then a large lightning strike near the stadium triggered the 30-minute lightning delay timer, and the tarp went back on the field.
Soon, the rains returned heavier than they’d been all day.
Before the rains came, Oklahoma State had taken control with four runs in the top of the fifth.
The Cowboys tied it on a single to right center by Garrett Benge and took the lead on Ryan Sluder’s fielder’s choice two batters later. Cade Cabbiness then drove home two more with a double to right.
The Sooners had taken the lead in their half of the fourth thanks to three hits, including doubles by Renae Martinez and Austin O’Brien that tied the game before Ben Hollas put OU ahead with a single up the middle.
Oklahoma State is in a rare position, needing wins on the final weekend just to secure a spot in the conference tournament.
Oklahoma needs wins as well, as the Sooners look to both solidify their case to host an NCAA Tournament regional and to improve their seeding for the Big 12 Tournament.
The Sooners could finish as high as second or could fall to fifth or sixth depending on how things play out Saturday.
The schedule change does help OU preserve pitching after a switch in its rotation recently to set itself up for the Big 12 Tournament.
Had the Sooners needed to use both Devon Perez and Kyle Tyler as starters Saturday, the rotation for the tournament would’ve been thrown into question.
There was some discussion about playing the completion through nine innings of the suspended game and then playing a pair of seven-inning games — as is accounted for in the Big 12 rules in certain circumstances — but it was decided to finish the game which began Friday and just play one more.